Quack-grass digger



c. SlEVERT QUACK GRASS DIG'GER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1920 mum 70E 5A? rer/ c. SIEVERT QUACK GRASS BIGGER Filed March 1, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 57' 19/5 197' TOE/YE )15 NETED STATES CHRIST SIEVER-T, OF CALIG, NORTH DAKOTA.

QUACK-GRASS BIGGER.

Application filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,260.

To (1]! 71*]1072? 2'1 may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnrusr Sinvnn'r, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Calio, in the county of Cavalier and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quack-Grass Diggers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a highly efficient quack grass digger, and to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

' in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1. is a. plan view of the quack grass digger;

2 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 2-42 of 1;

Fig. 8 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal central section YEEXGD on the line l1 of Fig. 1;

Fig. i is a transverse section taken on the line 4.-4t of Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a detail view partly in side elevation and partly in section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the caster wheels.

The improved quack grass digger may be mounted traction wheels 8, and the rear end of which is supported on a pair of caster wheels 9 for raising or lowering movement. The'caster wheel brackets 10 have arms that are mounted inbearings 11 on the frame 7 for turning and endwise sliding movements. The rear end of the frame 7 is adjustably supported from the caster wheel brackets 10 by means of. chains 12 having one of their ends anchored at 13 to the bearings 11 and the links of which are adapted to interlock with notches 14, as shown in Fig. 6.

An endless travelling rake 15 is mounted on the frame 7 and is made up of a pair of laterally spaced endless chains 16, a multiplicity of transverse bars 17, the ends of which are secured to certain of the links in said chains, at predetermined longitudinally spaced points, a transverse row of top surface teeth 18 secured to each bar 17 and a transverse row of sub-surface teeth 19 also secured to each bar 17 back of the top sur face teeth 18. During one complete cycle of the endless travelling rake, the same passes through a working zone, an elevating zone, a discharge zone and a return zone. The rake, while passing through the working zone, moves forward from a rear pair of sprocket wheels 20 to a front pair of sprocket wheels 21, over which the chains 16 travel. These sprocket wheels 20 and 21 are secured to transverse shafts 22, journaled on the frame 7. From the sprocket wheels 21, the rake passes through its elevating zone, in which it is slightly rearwardly inclined, and its chains 16 pass over a pair of sprocket wheels 23 journaled on the frame 7. During the travel of the rake through its discharge zone, the chains 16 thereof was alternately over sprocket wheels 26 and under sprocket wheels 27 journaled on brackets 28 having vertically disposed slots 29, through which extend clamping bolts 30 anchored to the frame 7 and provided to adjust-ably secure said brackets thereto. The sprocket chains 16, as the rake passes from its discharge zone, run under sprocket wheels 24: on a transverse shaft 25 journaled in the frame 7.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the sprocket wheels 26 are horizontally spaced and that the sprocket wheels 27 extend therehetween so that as the chains 16 pass over the sprocket wheels 26 and under the sprocket wheels 27, they are alternately given a downward dip and then an upward movement. This action is repeated several times while the rake is passing through its discharge zone, for a purpose that will presently appear.

I From the sprocket wheels 24, the rake beits return movement and first travels upwardly and rearwardly over sprocket wheels 31 on a shaft 32 journaled in the frame 7 and then it travels downwardly and rearwardly to the sprocket wheels 20. During the movement of the rake between the sprocket wheels 31 and 20, the chains 16 pass over and are supported on sprocket wheels 33 secured to a shaft 34: journaled in the frame 7.

The frame 7, at its rear end, is adjustably suported from the caster wheels 9 n a man? cated ii vided with shanks which extend upward through bores in the bars 17 from the bot toins thereof and are rigidly secured to said bars by opposing nuts 35, The bodies of theteeth 18 are rearwardly and downwardly inclined'and their. lower free ends extend abruptly forward and downward to afford J' shaped gathering cr tches 1 The shanks of the subsurface teeth 19 extend forward from the backs of the bars 17 through bores formed therein and their bodies are curvedrearwardly, downwardly and then forwardly and terminate in role-- are fortivoly long-sharp points 37, which 7 V wardly and downwardly inclined andjilo- Q ard of and below lower ends ofthc top surface teeth 18. no teeth 19 are/secured in the bars 1.7 by pairs opposing nuts 38, the rearn'iost of which are preferably welded to theshanks of the teeth '19 to afford stop shoulders, and the forward of said nuts having screw-threaded en ga'gehere 7 of the fram 7.

meat with said shanks; To hold the teeth 19 against turning movement in the bars 17, there is secured to the rear face of each of said bars a channel member 39, into which t 1e rear fixed nuts 38 extend and are held against turning'rnoveinent by the langes on said channel members, 7'

To hold the bars 17 against transverse rocking movement while the rake 1-5 is passthrough its working Zone-and the teeth 18 and 19 are in the ground, there is secured to the upper face of each bar 17 a pair of forwardly and rearwardly extended channel members 40, which rideon the under faces of guidebars l-l secured to the transverse incin- These fixed guide bars -11 also hold the rake ES -for straight- 7 line travelling ZllOVOIIlGIllJ and against raising and lowering movements. reference to Fig. 4, it will be noted t iatthe top surface teeth'18, on each bar 17,

are set relativelyclose together, while the sub-surface teeth 19am set considerably farther apart To assist in removing the quack grass from the teeth 18 andl9, there is provided-antral conib 42 secured to the frame 7 with it's teeth lnclined slightly forward and downward,- and throughwhiclr the teeth 18 and 19 pass during the travel 7 of the rake throughits discharge zone;

Underlying the dischar 'e zone, through which the rake passes, 15 a transversely extended hopper 48. having in its bottom a ran ed to run over front and rear pairs of sprocket wheels 4-8 secured to sl afts 49 journaled in the ends of a pair of transverse bars 50 secured to the frame 7.

The endless travelling rake is continuously driven, while the quack grass digger is moving, by the following connections, towit: Secured to the inner end of the hub. of each traction wheel8 is a sprocket wheel 51 The sprocket ciains 52 r uu'over the sprocket wheels l relatively small sprocket wheels on the inner ones of a pair. of axially aligned 'countershafts 5st journ'aled in thefraine 7. countershafts t are spur gears 55 which mesh with spur pinions 56secured' to a long counte shaft 57 ournaled in the frame '7 and extent n completely .therethrough. Se-

cured to the countershaft 57, between the frame 7 and spur pinions 56, is a pair of of the fraine 7 at the e t side thereof.

on the outer ends offther relatively sinal-l sprocket wheels 58, over J which and relatively large idle sprocket wheels 59, ournaled on the frame 7, run. sprocket chains 60. Secured to the sprocket wheels 59, for rotatioir therewith, are sprocket wheels 61 aligned with sprocket wheels 62 on the outer projecting ends of the forward shaft 22, and over whlch aligned sprocket wheels 61 and 62 run sprocket chains 63, which complete the oriving connections from the traction wheels 8 to the shaft 22 of the rake 15.

To permit the traction wheels 8 to slip,

the one in respect to the other, the spur gears '55 are connected to their respective shafts 54 by one-way clutches 64, of any suitable construction, but preferably pro-- vided with shipper levers, not shown. The endless carr er 45 is intermittently driven from the driving connections for the rake by a clutcl'i, which, as shown, is in the form of a friction face 65 011 the right-hand i rting gear 55, and a friction pinion on a shaft 6?, one end of which is ati.

i, nd shaft d9 of the carrier 45. The other e'ndof th shaft G T'is connected by al-ink TO to a pring-held foot lever 69. The

-lie-held foot lever 69 normally holds snarl. 67 through tl e link TO in a position with thefrict'ion pinion- 66 out-of contact with the friction facebo, soth'at the garrierreniains idle. Abra'cket 7 on the the shaft 67, towhich is attached the 4 i0, 911 the sides of the frame .7. are H i r runners 4'2 PIOVIdQd 'tO engage rough or hed by a universal-joint 68 to the right-' 7, is provided for supporting the end The operation of the improved quac-k grass digger .o'u-iy be briefly described as follows As previously stated. the machine may be either drawn by draft animals or a tractor. lin starting to work, the clutches 6d arese't to complete the travelling COHQQ-olOl'lS from the traction wheels 8 to the shaft 22 and thereby drive the rake- 15 in the d1reclion of the arrow marked thereon in T h connections are such as to drive the rake 15 at speed considerably faster than the speed at which the machine is travelling.

The teeth and 19, owing to the speed at which they travel in respect to the movement of the machine, will thoroughly break up and pulverize the soil. By causing the teeth 18 and 19 to first enter the soil at their greatest depth and gradually pass out of the soil, there is produced alifting ac tion. which pulls the quack grass and brings the same to the surface. he closely positioned top surface teeth 18 will. thoroughly rake the top of the soil and gather in their crotches the greater part of the quack The balance thereof will be gathered by the subsurface teeth 19.

The backward inclination of the rake, while passing through elevating zone, will hold the quack grass on the teeth 18 and 19. lVhile the rake is passing through its discharge zone, the quack grass is re n'zoved from the teeth princip. by the intermittent backward and upward movement given to the teeth under the action of the rake by the passing; of its chains over the sprocket wheels and under the sprocket wheels 27. Part of the quack grass will be removed from the teeth by causing said teeth to travel hrough the comb 42. During; the final travelling movement of the rake through the discharge zone. the same is caused to travel in direction that throws its teeth upwardly and backwardly, so that in case any of the quack grass is still clinging t ereto. the same will be free to drop h are from.

The quack removed from the rake, while passing through its discharge zone, is precipitated into the hopper 43, onto the endless carrier and deck id. When the hopper is full of quack grass, the operator may step on the foot lever 69 and thereby cause the friction pinion 66 to engage the friction face on the ri.gl1thand movinggear 55 and thereb cause the driving' connections for the car or to to impart a very rapid travelling movement to said carrier to discharge the quack grass from the hopper into a single pile on the ground at one side of the machine where the same be either carted away or burned. As previously stated, the elevation of the rear end of the frame 7 may be varied, at will, l the'adjustable connections between said arne and caster wheel brackets. to vary 0 depth at which the teeth 18 and 19 ter the ground.

The above described quack grass digger has. in actual usage, proven highly efficient for the purpose had in view, and it not only rids the soil from the quack but leaves the same in a fine pulverized condition for a seed bed.

It of course, understood that in place of driving: the rake and carrier from the traction wheels of the machine, an independent engine may be mounted on the frame and said parts driven therefrom.

What I claim is:

l. In a quack grass digger, the combination with a wheel-supported frame and means for propelling the same, of an end less travelling rake ha ng a working zone mounted on the frame, means for driving the rake, and means for guiding the rake through the ground in its working zone in a plane, slopii upwardly in the direction of its movement.

2. In a quack grass digger, the combination with wheel-supported frame and means for propelling; the same, of an endless travelling rake having a working zone mountec on the frame, means for driving the rake, means f. guiding the rake through the ground in MS working zone in a forwardly and upwardly inclined plane, and means for changi the inclination of the rake while passing; through its working zone.

ln a. quack grass digger, the combination with a wheel-supported frame and means for propelling the same, of an ende having working zone less travelling mounted on the frame. means for driving' the rake, said rake C0111 rising a pair of endless chins, and a plurality of tooth-equipped bars carried by the cha ns the teeth of which are adapted to move through the,

ground, guide rail on the frame, and guide members on said transverse bars engageable with the guide rails during: the travel of the rake through the ground in its working none for guiding the rake upwardly during travel through the working zone.

4. In a quack grass digger, the combinaion with a. wheel-supported frame and ans for oropelling the same, of an ends travelling rake mounted on the frame, .ieans for driving the rake, said rake co1n r sing a pair of endless chains and a plurali v of tooth-equipped bars carried by the hains, said rake arranged to travel through working zone, an elevating zone and a dis Jill) zone, and means operative on the rake, While passing through ts discharge Zone, to'interinittently hn'partto its transverse bars a movement that will throw the teeth upward and backward.

5. In a quack grassdigger the combination with a wheelsupported frame and means :ter propelling the sa e, of an endless-trayelling rake mounted on the frame, ineans dri ing the rakeysaid rake coina pair of endless chains, a plurality V a "tree bars carried by the chains, and suo-surrace teeth and top surface teeth carried by the bars 6. In a quack grass digger, the combination with a Wheel-supported frame and means for propelling tl same, of an endless travellin rake mounted on the frame, means for dri the rake, said rake comprising a pair of endless chains, a plurality of transverse hers carried by the chains, and sub-surface teeth and top surface teeth carried by the bars, said, top surface teeth being provided with gathering crctches.

7. In a quack grass digger, the combination with a wheel-supported frame and means for propelling the same, of an endless trarellin'g ral te mounted on tle frame, ineans "for d 'ivi'i'ig the rake, said rake comprising" a' pair of endless chains a plurality of transverse bars carried by the chains, and subsurface teeth and top surface teeth carried by the bars, said top surface teeth being provided with gathering crotehes and said sub-surface teeth having" sharp downwardly and forwardly inclined points.

3. A quack grass diggerhaying in comhination a 7' Wheel supported frame and means for propelling the same, an endless traveling rake having teeth carried thereby,

and means for movingsaid rake through the grount with the teeth depending therefrom and traveling tlnougjh the ground in the direction of movement of the Wheel supported frame a different speed therefrom. In testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' CHRIST SIEVERT.

and at -Witnesses:

A. RYE, CARL VILBORN. 

